Companion or Code? The Ethics of AI Companionship

Conversational agents based on Large Language Models are increasingly stepping into roles that look and feel like partnership, friendship or even love. 

These systems can comfort people, reduce loneliness and offer a sense of connection. But they also raise difficult questions about authenticity, dependency, power and care. 

In this episode, Rayane El Masr, PhD student of the ADM+S,  speaks to Prof Robert Sparrow (Monash University) about the ethical and philosophical implications of AI companionship.

Professor Sparrow is a Professor in the Philosophy Program, Chief Investigator at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science at Monash University, and Associate Investigator at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society’s Monash University node.

This episode is part of the ADM+S Careful Minds series created by ADM+S PhD Student Rayane El Masri.